Love Less
by Necrotic-Sonata
Summary: Asuuka, daughter and hier of a deceased feudal lord, needs protection when the Akatsuki stamp a price on her head. Who better to step up than the Kazekage himself? But helping this stubborn, hot-tempered woman will push everyone to thier limits.


Well, I've written Naruto fiction before, but this is the first time posting it here. Why Naruto? Because my Death Note series don't seem to be having a whole heck of a lot of luck. But I'm not complaining. I'll just try my hand at something new, until I find something both I and readers out there will all like.

--

Her mother had once told her,

_"Find a flower in the desert, you hold a miracle in your hands. Grow a garden in the desert, and you have your own slice of heaven."_

Flames licked at her once beloved garden, disinigrating in a blaze.

Her heaven was being set ablaze, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it.

"Miss Asuuka!" Someone called.

She heard her name being called, but it hadn't yet registered. The flames danced in her eyes, the only thing she truly saw, the roar of the fire the only thing she really heard.

"Heya, miss! Miss Asuuka!"

It wasn't until the flames wove around her feet, lapping at the hem of her kimono that she realized her peril. Embers scorched her leg, jolting her to her present danger. Her head swirved in the direction of her name. She saw a woman she'd met at the local bar about a month ago. The biggest alcoholic in all of Wind Country- maybe the world. Asuuka had given her enough change for one more round of booze.

"Get out of here, drunk," She snapped.

"You're going to kill me if you get alcohol on the flames."

The woman's golden eyes were inset with uncanny focus for a drunk. They furrowed, before she threw herself into the firey circle. Asuuka gasped, the woman's ragged garbs ablaze. Before she could stammer out a question, the woman had grasped ahold of the Lady's wrists, and was out of the ring of fire in a flash. The woman tore the flamming cloak from her body, alternating between slamming and stomping out the flames. When there was little more than ashes before them, she sighed, scratching her head. Her eyes drooped back into thier intoxicated glaze.

"Well, so much for that. Come now, my Lady, my liege. Predators are on the hunt, and they travel in bloodthirsty packs."

--

It had been a long, long time since she'd cried. A good sit-down sobbing, out of sadness, pain, and misery. Eight years, to be exact. She'd feigned the soft weeping appropriate at funerals for people she'd barely known, forced a smile-and-tear-streaked-face mask for weddings. But since the death of her mother eight years ago,she'd never _really_ cried. Not when she'd learned several people had died due to the attack eariler that day, and not even when she'd heard her late father, the Lord of Wind, was murdered. She was still in a phase of shock from everything that had happened so fast. Or maybe her tears had long but dried up by now.

Her mother had been the type that, for someone she loved, would allow them to slit her throat, and then with her dying breath, apologize for bleeding on thier clean shirt.

_"If you truly, selflessly, loved someone, and all you had to give was your life, how could you _not_ give it?" _She'd often quote.

_"Someday, you'll know the feeling."_

But her mother had been wrong. Here she was, twenty years old, and still technically "on the market". But Asuuka didn't think so. She'd taken herself off of the shelves a long time ago.

Now, she was out in the desert, a million miles away from home, in more than one way.

She watched the drunk woman further intoxicate herself, alcohol overflowing her lips and down her chin. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she began lecturing the hieress.

"... Ya don' even care 'bout the deaths that occured amoung your own people today. Just fled ter yas precious little acre of weeds stickin' outta the groun. Whas more, is... is... Uhg, too warm..."

She paused to shake her flask. Licking her lips, she continued dryly.

"Whas more, is that you don' even care that your father... he's dead. Killed today. By the bastards. Betcha don' care 'bout that now, d'ya?"

Asuuka massaged her temple. She resisted the urge to clock this babbling woman straight in her jaw. As if to irritate her even more, the woman's ramblings became even more slurred and even slightly incoherent.

"An' wif him pushin' up daysees uner all oof the rubbles and ciners of what use ta be back 'ere, guess who tha leefs in charch?!"

Though sitting, the woman swayed dangerously. With one final battle cry, she called out,

"Ta'e respnsibility! Ta'e charch off whas yers, Asuuka-_sama_!!"

Asuuka flinched violently, but not at the earth-shattering thud that the drunken woman had caused despite her petite size when she hit the sand. She flinched at what she'd said before passing out...

_"Take charge of what's yours, Asuuka-_sama_!!"_

_"...Asuuka-_sama_!!"_

_"..._Sama_!!"_

She hated being referred to as a Lady. Sure, she was the last, and only, in line for the royal family- But it wasn't what she'd wanted. She hated being tied down, burdened with troublesome tasks like _negotiations_ and _paperwork_. Worst of all, she'd have to keep in constant contact with the current Kazkekage. Bleah. She'd _loathed _the Yondaime Kazekage with a passion of one thousand suns after meeting him just once when she was seven. And now his youngest son was in the seat. Asuuka had never met him, but like father, like son, right?

Her deceased late father had adored his position as Lord. He'd loved the feel of having power of having all shinobi, even the Kazekage himself, all under his thumb. If the Lord said "To hell with the treaty- We're attacking Konoha!", then it was so. Because her late father had done just that when she had been only nine. But Asuuka wanted nothing to do with that. She thought it boring when things stood still, yes, but if in came to ultimatum between peace and war, she'd always choose peace, hands down, and _never_ tire out with that choice. True, after his wife had died, he took his wife's child and raised her himself, but there was only one true explaination to that. He hadn't been able to have a child of his own. The fact he hadn't had a son of his own smashed his world whole, and he had made sure to express that often. Asuuka had never really thought of him as her father- She considered him only the last wall left standing between her and imminent Ladyship. That wall had crumbled without warning. She wasn't ready to accept that just yet.

Somewhere between these thoughts swimming warily in her head and the heat of the desert, she must've passed out. One moment she was thinking of her late father, the next, he vanished, a mirage, into the desert. Before she knew it, she was lying face down on the back of a huge black bear. It was carrying her across the desert, its big black paws wrapped around her legs, pinning them to its side. It haunched slightly forward so that wouldn't fall off. She groaned, burying her face into the shirt the bear wore.

"Awake, are we?" The bear inquired.

Amusement shone in every syllable he spoke; his voice was obviously a male's.

She groaned again in response, and the bear laughed. It was a nice laugh, Asuuka noted. She liked his laugh.

"Sore, huh? Can't say I blame you."

Then, it hit her like a brick in the face. Her eyes shot wide open.

_"A walking, talking black bear, in the middle of the desert?"_

She blinked several times, waking herself from her dream state. Asuuka was no shinobi, but she knew a few manuevers that she'd pulled on more than one occassion that had saved her skin.

Keeping her breathing the same pace as before, she surveyed the scene, not daring to lift her head.

There was a blonde female with four ponytails, with a giant fan tucked away in her red obe on her back.

_"A Sand kunoichi,"_ Assuka mused, registering her hourglass hitai-ate.

She had a bit of a peaceful aura about her, but Asuuka wasn't about to fall for a potential enemy's traps. Her arms already dangling loosely around the black-clad man carrying her now; all she had to do was tighten her arms, and he'd be chocking for breath in seconds. It wasn't until she saw the drunk woman stumbling back nito view that she dropped this idea.

_"I can't really consider her my friend, but... it's obvious she wants me to own up to my responsibilities as... as..."_

Even in her mind, she couldn't manage to call herself what destiny wanted to label her.

_"Well, I can count that she wouldn't allow harm to come to me."_

"Mornin', mornin', Lady Asuuka!" She blurted as soon as she saw her eyes were open.

"Stop calling me that..." Asuuka tried to hiss, but it had come out a hoarse whimper.

Suddenly, the man stopped, and he stood up straight. Asuuka slid off of his back as his hands released her. He turned around, his huge hands looming over her body, poised to catch her if she showed any signs of falling from dizzyness or post-slumber uncoordination. Another Sand shinobi.

She didn't fall, but gasped as she got a good look at the man's face. He was the spitting image of the Fourth Kazekage, the only difference being that this man was all around _bigger_ than the Fourth. Bigger hands, thicker neck, broader shoulders.

Of course, like any other ego-respecting man she'd met in her life, he took her stares of _shock _as stares of _wonder_.

"The name's Kankurou," He introduced, extending his hand and flashing her a small but dazzling smile.

A complete, and total ploy he'd used several times before on every pretty face that showed the slightest bit of interest in him. The blonde noticed what was going on, and rolled her eyes. She began walking again, causing everyone to chase after her.

"Can't you let up on the ladies' man act, just for one mission?"

Asuuka snapped back to with the woman's words.

"Where are we?" She demanded.

The drunk chuckled softly as Asuuka flushed in embarrassment.

_"Sand. Desert. Riiiight..."_

"Where are you taking me to?" She tried again, hoping that she'd switched her question fast enough.

"Sunagakure," The blonde replied carefully.

"That's the whole reason we left the viallge."

Then it clicked. These Sand ninja weren't abducting her. Quite the contrary. They were sent, as a mission, to retrieve her, for the sake of Wind Country. Most likely to force her to own up as "Lady" Asuuka. The princess. The martyr. Ha. Let them try.

They continued thier trek, until Asuuka could see the gigantic dome-shaped buildings swimming in the heat over the horizon. Her lips turned down into a stubborn, frustrated scowl, on the inside she cackled with insane delight of the game to come.

* * *

And I think that's where I am going to end it.


End file.
